Howard University is a private, federally chartered historically black university in Washington, D.C. Parents who target Howard may want to focus on Advanced Placement.
Howard University’s Transfer Credit Policy
Homeschooling for College Credit at Howard allows you to accumulate up to 60 college credits in high school to transfer into your degree program. Keep in mind that even when your teen brings in 60 credits, they are STILL A FRESHMAN APPLICANT when those credits were earned in high school! Only students who earn college credit after high school can become “transfer applicants.”
- The maximum allowance for transfer credit earned at any institution is 60 semester hours.
- Prospective undergraduate transfer students, as well as first-year applicants who have taken dual enrollment courses, who would like to request a preliminary evaluation to determine eligible transfer credits, are encouraged to contact the Office of Admission at transfer@howard.edu.
- Howard does NOT allow homeschooled students to enroll directly with the university for dual enrollment, though public high school students do have that option.
- Howard does NOT award college credit for CLEP exams
- Howard DOES award college credit for Advanced Placement exams (see below)
Summer Program
Howard offers a special 2-month summer residential scholarship program for high school students worth 12 college credits. In addition to the opportunity to learn on campus, all eligible participants will receive a $3,250 stipend upon successful program completion.
AP Exam Acceptance
Entering students may receive credit for work completed in secondary school under the Advanced Placement (AP) Program administered by the College Board. In order to be considered for credit, official score reports must be submitted to Howard University. In each subject for which credit is sought, a minimum score of 4 is generally required (some subjects require scores of 3).
Cost breakdown: At about $800 per credit, passing just one Advanced Placement exam for 1 course will save a family about $2,400 in tuition and fees.
AP “Strive for 5” Exam Strategy for Howard
The following HS4CC recommended “strive for 5” Advanced Placement exam strategy is for the VERY HIGH achieving students taking an exceptionally rigorous high school homeschool program. This strategy will allow your student to accumulate enough college credit to “test out” of the first year at Howard and enjoy significant financial advantages!
| AP Exam | Score Needed | Howard Equivalent Course | College Credit | Cost Saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Literature & Composition | 5 | ENGL 014 & 015 | 6 | $4,800 |
| US History | 5 | HIST 009 & HIST 010 | 6 | $4,800 |
| World History | 5 | HIST 001 & 002 | 6 | $4,800 |
| Foreign Language (any) | 4 or 5 | 001-004 | 6 | $4,800 |
| Biology | 5 | BIOL 101 & BIOL 102 | 8 | $6,400 |
| Calculus AB | 4 or 5 | MATH 156 | 4 | $3,200 |
| 36 | $28,800 |
Scores of 4 are still worth college credit
In this strategy, adding two more exams allows the student to score lower but realize the same significant cost savings as a higher scoring student.
| AP Exam | Score Needed | Howard Equivalent Course | College Credit | Cost Saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Literature & Composition | 4 | ENGL 014 | 3 | $2,400 |
| US History | 4 | HIST 009 | 3 | $2,400 |
| World History | 4 | HIST 001 | 3 | $2,400 |
| Foreign Language (any) | 4 or 5 | 001-004 | 6 | $4,800 |
| Biology | 4 | BIOL 101 | 4 | $3,200 |
| Chemistry | 4 | CHEM 003, 005 | 5 | $4,000 |
| Calculus AB | 4 or 5 | MATH 156 | 4 | $3,200 |
| Statistics | 4 or 5 | MATH 009 | 4 | $3,200 |
| Psychology | 4 or 5 | PSYC 050 | 3 | $2,400 |
| 35 | $28,000 |